Related Articles

Especially during tough economic times, conflict arises in industrial relations between labor and management over such matters as wages and benefits, layoffs, safety, work hours and unionization. According to "HR Magazine," personnel with conflict management skills are in short supply, in part because of increasing globalization of the industrial work force and the rise in conflicts between workers and management.

Wages and Benefits

Compensation and fringe benefits have historically been a key driver of conflict in industrial settings, as companies seek to make necessary cost reductions in periods of low demand for products or services. During down economies, including the U.S. recession of 2008 to 2009, companies have cut back on the frequency and size of pay raises and on contributions to employee health insurance and retirement plans.

Layoffs

When companies decide to cut costs, work force reductions are frequently considered or carried out. Conflict over pending layoffs is sometimes resolved by agreements made between workers and management, such as pay reductions or other concessions that minimize or avert the need for job losses. Conflicts sometimes erupt over who is being targeted for layoffs -- for instance, those with seniority and higher-paid workers -- leading to legal conflicts over age bias and discrimination.

Safety

In the United States, federal and state regulations have significantly improved workplace safety over the past century. In other emerging nations, worker safety laws -- including those related to child labor -- have not kept pace with rapid industrial growth, and safety is likely to be a growing point of conflict for U.S. companies that have a global presence. For instance, labor advocates and corporations have clashed over safety practices in Asian electronics and clothing factories in the new millennium.

Work Hours

Most U.S. states have clear laws regarding the length of workdays, what constitutes overtime and how long employees can be required to work without a break. Conflicts can arise when personnel are asked to work extra hours -- sometimes “off the clock” and through their scheduled breaks -- to fill in for absent co-workers or meet the demands of busy shifts.

Conflicts also center on time-off policies for family-related medical situations, such as maternity leaves. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 applies only to companies with 50 or more workers, leaving smaller companies to decide for themselves whether to grant paid or unpaid time off when employees have family emergencies.

Unionization

Union representation among U.S. employers -- public and private -- stands at just over 11 percent in 2012, which represents a steady decline over the past 50 years; the private sector is even lower, at 7 percent. Organized labor is exerting ongoing pressure, resisted by corporations, to unionize service industries such as retail and hospitality. In the public sector, disputes over pay, health coverage and other issues continue to affect thousands of unionized workers in the fields of education, municipal services and law enforcement. The federal government has mediation and other programs in place to deal with disputes in both the public and private sectors, and federal laws govern collective bargaining and the prevention and settling of labor strikes.

Resources (1)

About the Author

Lou Hirsh has been writing and editing for more than 25 years, specializing in business, finance and the economy. His work has been published in print and online at the technology site NewsFactor Network and publications of California Business Journals, Gannett Newspapers, Hearst Newspapers and A.H. Belo Corp.

Photo Credits

Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

bibliography-iconicon for annotation tool Cite this Article

Choose Citation Style

Hirsh, Lou. "What Are the Causes of Conflict in Industrial Relations?" Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-conflict-industrial-relations-59203.html. Accessed 13 August 2018.

Hirsh, Lou. (n.d.). What Are the Causes of Conflict in Industrial Relations? Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-conflict-industrial-relations-59203.html

Hirsh, Lou. "What Are the Causes of Conflict in Industrial Relations?" accessed August 13, 2018. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-conflict-industrial-relations-59203.html

Note: Depending on which text editor you're pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site name.